So Who's This Chuck Yeager Guy They Are Talking About?

Found this story via a link from Neptunus Lex

October 5, 2008
Press protected Chuck Yeager after fabled flight under city bridge
Nothing on the radio. Not a word in the newspaper. Not even a picture to prove it. But 60 years later, it remains one of the most fabled events in Charleston's history.
By Sandy Wells
Staff writer
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Nothing on the radio. Not a word in the newspaper. Not even a picture to prove it.

But 60 years later, it remains one of the most fabled events in Charleston's history.

"It was known only to those of us who saw it, and through word-of-mouth later on," said Neil Boggs, a Clay County native and retired NBC correspondent.


Nobody talked about it on the record for years, he said. "Tens of thousands of people saw it. They knew it was done by one of them, for one of them, and they joined in a conspiracy of silence."...

...The F-80 jet appeared out of nowhere.

Bill Kelley, 14, stood midway down the riverbank steps at Brooks Street. The eventual WSAZ photographer had a camera even then. He forgot to bring it.

"Frank Knight had just announced that Capt. Chuck Yeager was going to fly over," Kelley said. "I didn't see a plane in the sky. I looked east, below the horizon, about where the Capitol is, and I saw a plane.

"I actually had to look down to see it. That's how low it was. I thought, 'Oh, my goodness!'"

He watched that jet fly right under the South Side Bridge.

The jet did a victory roll and roared out of sight.

For the rest of the story please go to the Charleston Gazette website

Yeah baby! Today, if they caught you doing anything of that sort they would monkey stomp your ass...or at the very least rip your lips off.

I have a Chuck Yeager story of sorts. I was attending the Edwards AFB air show, not sure of the year, but Chuck Yeager took the podium after opening the show by "breaking the sound barrier" by flying over the field in the back seat of an F-15 at Mach 1 plus. I don't remember much about what he said other than the profane reminder to the assembled crowd not to drink and god damned drive. I guess when you're a living legend like that you can pretty much get away with anything short of child rape or murder.

"Mommy that man said a bad word."

"Don't worry honey, he's just a crazy old fighter pilot."

"Mommy isn't that a redundant statement?"

(Yeah I know, in my world little kids know words like redundant and are shocked when someone says "god damn". It's a beautiful place my world. :))